


Old Fashioned Proposal

by mk94



Series: Aang doesn't get modern customs [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Insecurity, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Misunderstandings, insecure Sokka
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:55:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25903954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mk94/pseuds/mk94
Summary: This story is about Sokka being insecure about being a non bender and Aang thinking that Zuko was proposing to Sokka.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Aang doesn't get modern customs [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1915609
Comments: 48
Kudos: 709





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just a short story that I needed to write down and wanted to share. Have fun!

Zuko was approaching the open ground to take his usual morning training when he heard shouts and war cries. Upon arriving, he saw no other than Sokka going through his steps with his sword. Quite impressed, the teen watched the water tribe boy jumping and rolling on the ground, all the while managing to come back into fight position.

“That was really impressive,” he commented, seeing Sokka flinch and turning around to face Zuko.

“Oh, uhm, thanks” he mumbled, putting his sword back into its sheath.

“You don’t usually wake up before breakfast. Why are you up so early?”

“I just thought to train a bit more, so what?” Sokka replied defensive, crossing his arms and looking away with feigned disinterest.

Zuko hummed unconvinced and gave his friend a thoughtful glare, wondering what his strange behavior could mean. It might be that Sokka was still sulking from yesterday’s conversation about elemental bending. Toph was telling a joke how Sokka would die first when confronted by the fire nation. And not ‘if’ he dies first but ‘when’ he dies first. She was pretty confident about the fact that Sokka would be the first to die in their group.

Katara and Aang didn’t make it better, telling the non-bender how they will protect him when he started to snap at the earth bender. And Zuko had to admit that he wasn’t any help as well, remembering how he told Sokka that he wouldn’t be such an interesting target as non-bender. After that, Sokka went to bed early.

Seeing him training now before sunrise, it was obvious that Sokka was still angry about it.

“I’m sorry about yesterday, it was stupid of me to say that” Zuko apologized, fumbling with his hands awkwardly.

Sokka huffed, shrugging stiffly,” you all act like I can’t do anything if not bending. I’m a non-bender, so what? I’m the man with the plan. I can fight with a sword. I have my boomerang!”

Zuko watched Sokka turning away,” and still I’m jealous. I…”

Sokka sighed,” you all have this awesome bending and I will never be able to know how that feels. And you rubbing it in my face won’t make this feeling go away”, he added sarcastically.

Pulling out his sword again, Sokka started his training again,” and if you’re so convinced that I’m going to die first, I just have to train harder”

Zuko watched the boy going through his steps again, but this time with far more mistakes than before. Yelling frustrated, Sokka put his sword back again and walked away.

But Zuko stopped him, grabbing his wrist.

“I’m sorry for making you think that you’re not enough, Sokka” he said firmly, his hold tightening as the other tried to pull away. Sokka glared at him.

“You are a good swords man, there is no one who could use a boomerang like you do and if it weren’t for your plans, I believe we never would have come this far. You are very important to us. To me”

Zuko ignored his blush and carefully took the other hand,” let me show you something”

Sokka, watching the other calmly as his hands were put in Zuko’s hands with their palms up, gasped as a little flame flickered up, glowing and floating about his hands.

“This is how fire bending feels in my hands. It’s warm and… yeah,” Zuko said lamely but Sokka didn’t seem to care, watching in fascination the little flame in his own hands.

Both flinched and looked up from their hands when a very loud gasp was heard. They saw Aang standing there, staring at them with a bright blush on his cheeks. He was stuttering and mumbling and turning around before turning around again towards them and walking over to the two teens.

Zuko pulled his hands away, the little flame dying in Sokka’s and the water tribe boy tried to not look too disappointed.

“I didn’t mean to ruin this moment. I’m so sorry,” Aang apologized hastily, bowing deeply and looking up again,” I never thought that you two… but seeing it now… I mean… it does make sense…”

“What are you talking about?” Sokka asked confused, and Zuko could only nod in agreement.

“Don’t worry, I let you two alone. But don’t forget we have some training to do, hotman!” Aang said quickly and before Zuko and Sokka could stop him, he was off with his air ball.

During breakfast, Sokka and Zuko quickly realized that something was off.

First sign of ‘something-was-off’ was Katara refusing to make Zuko any breakfast. Her glare turned even worse when Sokka shared some of his food with the other while Toph couldn’t stop to giggle.

Sign two of ‘something-was-off’ was Toph being strangely nice and sign three was Aang smiling and grinning at the two so weirdly happy about something.

“I think there is no use in hiding this anymore, seeing that Aang found out about you two,” Katara spoke up after they finished their breakfast,” tell us, when did you start dating?”

Zuko frowned confused, glancing over to Sokka who shrugged,” well, Mai was my first girlfriend and we started around a few months ago before breaking it off”

“You know me, Katara, I may know few women but seeing our situation, I never really-“

Katara sighed frustrated,” when did you start dating _each other_?”

“Wh-wh-whaaaat!?” Sokka jumped to his feet, his face heating up,” what are you talking about?!?”

“I’m talking about you and that monster dating, Sokka!” Katara snapped back, pointing at the paled prince sitting there in shock, “Aang told us everything!”

“What _did_ Aang tell you? I really don’t know what is going on right now?!” the brother snapped back.

“That you are engaged!” Aang shouted out cheerily,” don’t deny it. I saw you! Zuko was proposing to you and you agreed! I’m so happy for-“

“ **WHAT?!”** Sokka screeched, snapping his head over to a blushing Zuko, **” DID YOU PROPOSE TO ME?!?!”**

Unable to talk, Zuko shook his head fiercely. When Sokka still kept on staring at him, he shook his head fiercely again.

“I..I-I… I really just, uh, I just wanted to cheer you up,” he spoke up helplessly,” I don’t know what Aang is talking about, really…”

“There is no use in hiding it,” Aang grinned knowingly,” I know what a fire nation proposal looks like. When I was eight, Monk Gyatso was proposed to by one of his old fire nation friends. He explained to me that it is a symbol of giving away their inner fire to someone they want to spent their entire life with.”

While explaining, Aang was crossing his arms, feeling certain that he was right. Only as he noticed his friends staring at him confused, including the fire bender, he felt that something was amiss.

“What is it?” the young avatar asked.

“I think…” Zuko spoke up,” you forgot that you are 112 years old. I know nothing about this kind of proposal”

“But, but… you and Sokka…” Aang watched the two teens and mumbled embarrassed,” I didn’t think proposals would change over the years…”

Toph broke out in laughter. So did Katara in relief. Zuko and Sokka also were chuckling before meeting their eyes and blushing deeply, looking away from each other quickly.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a bonus: Inspired by the short story where Zuko shouts 'My heart burns for you!'

“Are you free today?” Sokka asked at breakfast, glancing over to Zuko who was picking at his own food while trying to hide from Katara’s glare.

“Well, Aang is training his earth bending today, so I guess I am” the prince answered.

“Cool! We can train with our swords together! There is something I wanted to show you. Your fire bending last time gave me an idea”

Aang choked on his stew, coughing heavily before meekly returning to silently eating, glancing up at them nervously.

To spare his feelings, both Zuko and Sokka ignored his reaction. Toph meanwhile was laughing openly at the air bender.

“Okay, we can start after breakfast?”

“It’s a date!”

Sokka froze at his words, quickly staring down at his food and nearly inhaling it to not think about it.

Zuko was blushing furiously, his eyes avoiding everyone looking at them. And Aang. Especially Aang.

Stupid monk with his stupid old fashioned proposals making everything awkward.

After breakfast, the boys took their weapons and went to their training spot. They were doing their warm up and did some sparring. Afterwards, Sokka asked Zuko for some fire.

“Trust me, I know what I’m doing,” he said with confidence, taking off his upper clothes.

Feeling his face heat up, Zuko held out his hand producing more fire in it than he intended to do.

Sokka took a bottle he had placed nearby and poured its content onto his weapon. Then he held his sword out to the fire bender to lighten it up.

Staring in shock, Zuko sat there as Sokka started to wield his flaming space-sword. He was moving with intent and grace. Every twist and turn was calculated and perfected without the non-bender to be burned.

Meanwhile Zuko felt his heart hammering in his chest. Did Sokka know what he was doing? He couldn’t, could he?

“What do you think, scary huh?” Sokka asked when he finished his last moves, posing with his sword,” that will make the fire benders speechless”

“Yes, speechless” Zuko mumbled, still trying to process of what he had just witnessed.

Aang meanwhile was thrown into the air by Toph and landed right in front of Zuko, groaning in frustration till he saw Sokka looking down at him, his flaming sword at his side.

Like the first time, Aang gasped loudly, pointing at the sword in silent excitement while his eyes darted from Sokka to Zuko and back to Sokka. He jumped up to his feet, still pointing at the sword while hopping from one food to another.

“I know, awesome, right?” Sokka smirked.

Zuko stopped breathing for a moment. Please, someone tell him that Aang doesn’t actually know what Sokka had been doing.

“I was so stupid for not knowing it sooner!” Aang shouted, smiling at Sokka,” of course there was no proposal! You only started dating now!”

“WHAT!?” Sokka snapped,” Aang! Why are you like this?? You are 112 years old! ACT LIKE IT!!”

“Nu-uh!” Aang huffed, crossing his arms,” I might be wrong about proposals, but I recognize a phoenix dance when I see one!”

He turned to Zuko excited,” when I was six, Monk Gyatso’s friend from the fire nation declared his love for him that way. Without a weapon though, he was a fire bender”

“ **WHAT IS HE TALKING ABOUT!!!???** ” Sokka screeched, crazy eyes turning to a shrinking Zuko.

“I need to tell the others!” Aang replied easily and off he was again, leaving the prince behind to explain to his friend what just happened.

He explained to him how fire benders show off their bending to impress their person of interest while non benders had to use other methods and wielded burning tools and weapons.

“So you… you thought that I…” Sokka looked down at his not-anymore-flaming-space-sword.

“I suspected that you weren’t aware of that” Zuko mumbled, not looking at the other,”… but yeah, I was surprised to see you dancing”

“I wasn’t dancing” Sokka huffed.

“Yes, of course,” Zuko whispered awkwardly, not looking up from his feet.

It was quiet between them for a while till Sokka spoke up again.

“But what…like… if I _was_ doing that bird dance-“

“Phoenix dance”

“-phoenix dance, what… what would be your answer? If I ask you out on a date that way, I mean”

Looking up in surprise, he saw Sokka looking anywhere but at him, his face a deep blush. Smiling at him softly, he gently took the other boy’s hand in his.

They barely smiled at each other when a river came shooting out of nowhere, carrying the poor prince away from the water tribe boy.

“Hands off my brother!!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have some cultural tradition ideas for the different nations, I'm all ears. I kinda want Aang's perspective of 'modern' things but just managed this bonus for now.


End file.
